Hannah (written at age 18)

 

I have known Tony now for about 6 years.  He has fitted into our family as step-father, taking up a role that he is very naturally suited to.  He has a very kind nature, a good heart and always means well.

 

He has been practically inclined from a young age and as such has created and fixed almost everything in and around the cottages.  He has also created a beautiful vegetable patch with added lawn out of what used to be an overgrown shrubbery of sorts, next to the cottages.

 

It has been an experience living with a vegetarian, but one that I have nonetheless enjoyed.  An extremely good cook, we have all benefited almost daily from amazing curries and stir fries.  I always leave home feeling much healthier as a result.  Living in the country means it is sometimes difficult to find things to do and it's been lovely for me to see Oliver and Hugh making things with wood and meccano with Tony assisting and guiding them.  He takes real pleasure in family outings and shared events.

 

Something that constantly impresses me about Tony is his hard work.  He is always focused and dedicated.  His dream is to retire to a small farm to grow fruit again and we've looked at properties all over Europe but have not yet found the dream home.

 

As the eldest child at 18, I'm leaving home this year to to to Oxford University to study music and Tony is being very supportive in wanting to help me plan ahead but also in creating a home for me to come back to.

 

As with any family, we have our share of arguments, but they are relatively rare.  Tony's kindness, helpfulness and general cheeriness are a welcome addition to our family and we all hope that one day we can share it all with you.

James

James hasn't done his pen-portrait of me yet because he has been busy playing his amazing Cello and studying for his exams at St Mary's music school in Edinburgh.

 

But he is particularly keen to write to you Tristan, because he says that he was himself very angry with his own Mum for quite a few years after his parents split up, but that he has worked through that now and has a good relationship with both his parents, although he chooses to spend most of his time living at his Dads flat in Hexham.

Oliver (written at age 13)

 

From my point of view, Tony has three main problems: one, he is vegetarian, two, he can sometimes be rather dull and three, he tries to be too perfect!

 

Living with Tony means there is a woeful lack of meat and if he had his way, no fish either.  On Christmas day, having no meat is a serious problem, which no amount of vegetables can solve.  One of his reasons for being vegetarian is because it's healthy.

 

Tony is not dull, but he sometimes gets quite close.  The majority of books in his house are fact books and spiritual books.  Also, he doesn't own many films, but this is made up for because he rents a lot. 

 

Perfection seems a constant whim.  He has got to have a perfectly balanced diet and cannot eat too much. Waiting until tomorrow to get something done is not an option;  it has to be carefully and correctly done - if it's good, but not perfect, it is not good enough.

 

Tony is fastidious about manners, clearing up after yourself, tidying your shoes etc...  Like our Mum, he limits us where TV and computer are concerned.

 

Tony loves food; unfortunately this does not include giant rich pudding.  He enjoys experimenting and trying new things. Quality food is very important to him.  The variety of food that Tony cooks is vast.

 

Patience is one of Tony's virtues.  He is also fair with us and careful when it comes to spending money.  He will happily spend more money on something if it is quality, but will not spend money on items he sees as unpractical or useless.

 

Overall, I think Tony is a simple person.  He enjoys the countryside, growing and fixing things.  The last thing I have to say is that Tony will really give things a go!

Hugh (written at age 11)

 

When I first met Tony 6 years ago, I was rather shy of him, but once I talked to him (about Star Wars and Harry Potter), I found that I liked him. 

 

For three and a half years he lived in Herefordshire, so we didn't see much of him, but it was fun when we went to see him at Oak House.  He moved here two and a half years ago, which was very convenient as me and Oli could go on the computer instead of waiting to go on our Dads at the weekend, who doesn't always have an internet connection working.

 

Tony is not a strict man, but is strict about a few things, but it is extremely rare for him to shout.  He taught us woodwork, gardening and let us steer the tractor, but we can't do that anymore as we no longer fit into it.  He joined the Tesco DVD rental club, so we can now watch DVDs without getting told off and he pays for the DVD rental. 

 

He is useful for making headway and persuading our Mum which is an achievement as she is very stubborn!

 

He is vegetarian, but we have found some very nice vegetarian food, one of them is pancakes filled with Quorn, which is lovely and we always get meat at our Dads.